JNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA     AGRICULTURAL    EXPERIMENT  STATION 
COLLEGE   OF  AGRICULTURE 


^  D.RECTOR 
BERKELEY  H-   E-  V*N    NORMAN.  VICE-DIRECTOR  AND   DF.N 


OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  RECENT 
AGRICULTURAL  INQUIRY  IN  CALIFORNIA 

Made  by  direction  of  the  Committee  on  Resources  and 
Food  Supply  of  the  State  Council  of 

By   THOMAS    FORSYTH    HUNT 


There  are  presented  herewith  copies*  of  the  report  of 
eight  parties  which  conducted  and  completed  an  agricultural  inquiry 
in  California  in  the  twelve  days  ending  April  27,  1917.  A  study 
of  the  data  and  recommendations  of  these  committees  is  essential  to 
a  complete  presentation  of  the  inquiry.  It  is  intended  with  your 
permission  to  print  these  summaries  together  with  other  special 
reports  and  documents  in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  College  of  Agri- 
culture where  due  acknowledgement  will  be  made  of  all  the  agencies 
and  individuals  who  have  so  generously  assisted  in  conducting  this 
inquiry  and  without  which  its  success  would  have  been  impossible. 
For  the  sake  of  brevity,  I  propose  to  restrict  myself  to  the  presenta- 
tion of  certain  conclusions  that  have  been  impressed  upon  me  not 
alone  by  the  study  of  the  large  mass  of  data  collected,  but  also  by 
other  facts  which  have  come  to  my  attention  since  making  a  previous 
report  to  this  committee. 

I  shall  not  be  disappointed  if  you  do  not  adopt  the  conclusions. 
I  am  conscious  of  the  steps  through  which  every  nation  has  gone  which 
prosecutes  to  a  final  conclusion  a  war  of  the  first  magnitude.  It  first 
exhorts,  it  next  admonishes,  it  then  threatens,  and  finally  it  compels. 
This  nation  can  hardly  hope  to  escape  these  steps  if  war  continues  for 
three  or  more  years.  The  best  that  can  be  hoped  is  that  the  steps 
may  be  shortened.  It  is,  however,  desirable  that  you  who  have  placed 
upon  you  such  grave  responsibilities  should  be  able  to  see  to  the 
end  of  the  road. 

Acting  under  your  instructions  an  agricultural  inquiry  was  con- 
ducted to  determine  as  far  as  such  an  inquiry  could  determine,  the 
actual  condition  of  crops,  and  to  point  out  the  desirability  of  raising 


*  Not  included  with  this  preliminary  circular. 


niversity  of  California 
Southern  Regional 
Library  Facility 


summer  forage  crops  to  the  end  that  the  output  of  animal  products 
be  maintained.  The  parties  making  the  inquiry  also  gave  information 
about  the  growing  of  certain  crops  with  which  some  farmers  have 
not  yet  had  any  considerable  experience. 

As  was  to  be  expected,  the  farmers  were  everywhere  found  to  be 
bending  all  their  available  capital  and  energy  to  the  production  of 
farm  products.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  men  who  conducted  these 
inquiries  came  back  inspired  by  the  cordial  support  and  the  patriotic 
fervor  with  which  the  various  audiences  received  them.  Nothing  in 
agricultural  propaganda  with  which  I  have  been  more  or  less  inti- 
mately connected  for  a  third  of  a  century  has  so  impressed  me  as  the 
enthusiasm  with  which  these  men  returned  from  their  two  weeks' 
campaign. 

It  may  be  safely  stated  that  never  has  so  much  capital  or  so  much 
labor  been  expended  in  the  production  of  farm  crops  in  California 
as  during  the  present  season.  Broadly  speaking,  yield  of  crops  de- 
pends upon  two  factors:  (1)  capital,  including  labor,  and  (2)  weather 
conditions.  Unfortunately  the  rainfall  has  been  deficient  and  tem- 
peratures have  been  rather  uniformly  below  normal  during  several 
months.  It  is  necessary  to  report,  therefore,  that  notwithstanding  the 
strenuous  efforts  of  the  farmers  the  total  crop  yields  of  the  state  will 
be  below  normal,  although  probably  not  the  gross  financial  returns. 

It  is  difficult  to  secure  the  actual  facts  through  an  inquiry  of  the 
kind  conducted  or  to  make  a  general  statement  that  will  apply  to 
the  state  as  a  whole.  The  inquiry  was,  of  course,  mainly  concerned 
in  determining  the  yield  of  crops  and  in  creating  a  surplus  of  food 
for  our  allies.  The  men  giving  testimony  can  hardly  escape  being 
influenced  by  their  economic  returns.  A  producer  of  prunes  may 
anticipate  only  90  per  cent  of  a  normal  yield,  yet  if  he  has  them 
contracted  at  25  per  cent  above  the  usual  price,  he  is  apt  to  testify  his 
crop  is  satisfactory,  especially  when  with  the  anticipated  high  price 
for  labor  he  reflects  that  it  costs  him  less  to  harvest  a  90  per  cent 
crop.  In  the  same  county  alfalfa  under  irrigation  may  be  20  per 
cent  above  normal,  while  barley  hay  on  adjacent  unirrigated  land 
may  be  50  per  cent  below  normal.  To  what  extent  they  offset  each 
other  is  obviously  dependent  upon  the  relative  acreage.  Potatoes  may 
be  above  normal  in  most  of  the  counties  not  raising  potatoes  exten- 
sively but  considerably  below  normal  in  regions  where  they  are 
principally  grown. 

In  general,  however,  field  crops,  that  is  crops  other  than  fruits 
and  vegetables  are  somewhat  below  normal  in  the  Sacramento  Valley, 
much  below  normal  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  and  up  to  normal 


PLANT  NOW 

GRAIN  SORGHUMS 

Sorghums  will  grow  in  hot,  dry  districts. 

Sorghums  are  drought  resistants. 

Sorghums  are  an  excellent  substitute  for  corn. 

Grow  sorghum  for  grain  and  forage. 

With  irrigation,  sorghums  may  follow  grain  hay. 

Plant  sorghums  on  any  good,  average  soil. 

Plant  up  to  May  1. 

On  irrigated  land  plant  up  to  June  25. 

Prepare  seed  bed  thoroughly  with  a  two-inch  mulch. 

For  grain,  plant  rows  three  and  one-half  feet  apart; 

plants,  four  to  six  inches  apart,  in  the  rows;  six 

to  eight  pounds  per  acre. 

For  forage,  seed  heavier  than  for  grain;  30-40  Ibs. 
Plant  seeds  below  mulch  on  moist  soil. 
For  grain,  plant  dwarf  milo,  Egyptian  corn  or  feterita. 
For  forage  plant  Kafirs  or  sweet  sorghums. 
Keep  down  weeds  around  young  plants. 
Cultivate  to  preserve  mulch  and  conserve  moisture. 

Ask  your  Farm  Adviser,  or  write  the  University  oi  California, 
College  of  Agriculture,  Berkeley 


chiefly  in  counties  of  relatively  small  acreage.  Irrigated  crops 
are  not  so  seriously  affected  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley,  but 
even  here  reports  state  that  the  cold  spring  has  retarded  the  alfalfa  so 
that  one  less  cutting  is  generally  anticipated.  Speaking  again  in  most 
general  terms,  the  fruit  situation  from  the  standpoint  of  the  producer 
and  the  fruit  handler  may  aside  from  the  question  of  labor  be  stated 
to  be  satisfactory.  The  indications  are  that  fruit  is  not  much  below 
normal  in  yield,  and  owing  to  prevailing  prices  will  bring  to  the 
state  as  much  and  perhaps  more  money  than  usual. 

Some  difficulty  has  been  experienced  by  canners  in  securing  tin- 
plate  and  the  wholesale  stocks  of  glass  jars  were  found  to  be  low. 
A  special  inquiry  was  made  by  our  parties  which  indicate  that  suf- 
ficient stocks  of  these  containers  are  held  by  retailers  to  meet  all 
probable  demands.  The  College  of  Agriculture  has  recently  pub- 
lished brief  succinct  instructions  on  the  drying  of  suitable  fruits, 
especially  for  those  growers  who  are  not  accustomed  to  practice  the 
well  known  methods  of  the  larger  operators. 

The  acreage  of  beans  will  probably  be  the  largest  in  the  history 
of  the  state.  The  acreage  of  sugar  beets  has  also  increased,  although 
seasonal  conditions  causing  some  shortage  of  labor  for  thinning  has 
in  some  instances  resulted  in  a  substitution  of  beans  for  beets. 
Although  difficult  to  determine,  because  of  properly  assessing  the 
relative  influence  of  commercial  and  amateur  planting,  it  is  probable 
that  the  effective  acreage  of  potatoes  is  not  quite  up  to  normal.  The 
growing  of  vegetables  on  the  farm  for  home  consumption  needs  to  be 
greatly  extended  in  these  critical  times. 

Owing  doubtless  to  satisfactory  prices  which  have  prevailed  for 
several  years  the  ranges  and  native  pastures  are  fully  stocked  with 
cattle  and  sheep.  There  is  every  evidence  that  these  pastures  will 
not  be  able  this  season  to  support  adequately  all  the  animals  available. 
It  is  further  fully  established  that  reserves  of  grain,  alfalfa  and  other 
forage  are  smaller  than  in  any  previous  time  in  several  years. 

A  vigorous  campaign  has  been  made  to  increase  production  of 
sorghums  for  grain  and  forage,  and  to  increase  silos  for  the  preser- 
vation of  forage  sorghums.  The  proper  officials  of  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment have  been  requested  to  make  available  for  pasture  the 
National  parks  of  the  state.  The  District  Forester,  Mr.  Coert  Du 
Bois,  estimates  that  under  forest  service  regulations  approximately 
30,000  head  of  cattle  or  their  equivalent  in  sheep  can  thus  be  saved. 
It  is  estimated  that  there  are  in  California  627,000  head  of  cattle  or 
equivalent  in  sheep  which  the  native  pastures  can  not  successfully 


HOW  TO  WIN 

THE  ram  FOR 

DEMOCRACY 

1.  Increase  the  Army 

and  Navy 

2.  Build  More  Ships 

3.  Increase  Food  Sup- 

plies for  our  Allies 

WHICH  ARE  YOU  DOING 


carry  this  season.  Some  will  go  to  market  at  relatively  low  prices. 
If  the  rest  can  be  held  until  November,  some  may  be  transferred  to 
the  valleys  to  be  fed  on  alfalfa,  grain  hay,  and  sorghums  including 
silage,  while  others  may  at  present  prices  be  shipped  to  the  feed  lots 
of  the  central  west  where  Indian  corn  will  doubtless  be  abundant  by 
that  time.  The  final  outcome  will  be  somewhat  influenced  by  the  time 
and  character  of  the  fall  rains.  Whether  these  cattle  are  fed  in  the 
valleys  of  California  or  in  the  feed  lots  of  the  central  west,  without 
doubt  higher  prices  must  be  paid  for  animals  on  the  hoof  next  year 
and  in  the  years  immediately  thereafter  than  is  now  being  paid. 

If  meat  production  is  to  be  materially  increased  in  California,  the 
valleys  must  take  a  larger  part  jn  the  industry  than  heretofore.  This 
will  come  about  by  bringing  steers  from  the  ranges  at  an  earlier  age 
to  be  finished  in  the  valley  while  breeding  cows  take  their  places  on 
the  range. 

Progress  can  also  be  made  by  reducing  the  excessive  loss  of  lambs 
by  the  use  of  lambing  sheds,  thus  reducing  the  number  of  ewes  neces- 
sary to  carry  on  the  ranges  to  secure  a  given  crop  of  lambs.  A 
member  of  the  staff  of  the  Division  of  Animal  Husbandry  has  been 
detailed  to  go  among  the  sheep  raisers  furnishing  plans  of  a  simple 
lambing  shed  and  if  possible  bring  about  better  care  at  this  critical 
period  of  the  shepherd's  business.  This  effort  is  too  late  to  be  bene- 
ficial during  the  present  season. 

The  valleys  of  California  can  greatly  increase  the  production  of 
pigs  and  chickens,  but,  in  order  to  do  so,  food,  particularly  grain 
sorghums,  must  be  raised.  The  farmer  who  undertakes  to  increase 
his  supply  of  pigs  without  first  or  concurrently  growing  food  for  them 
is  destined  to  disaster. 

More  of  the  poultry  of  California  should  be  raised  on  the  farm 
which  produces  the  food  that  they  consume.  California  has  the 
most  numerous,  large,  specialized  poultry  plants  in  the  United  States 
yet  keeps  less  poultry  and  produces  less  eggs  per  capita  than  many, 
perhaps  most  other  states.  The  reason  is  that  poultry  are  not  so  uni- 
versally raised  as  a  by-product  of  the  farm  as  elsewhere.  Today 
poultrymen  are  sacrificing  their  flocks  on  account  of  the  high  price 
of  feed. 

If  a  farm  raises  one  acre  of  grain  sorghums  there  can  be  kept  with 
profit  50  hens  which  would  produce  500  to  600  dozen  eggs  each  year. 
The  seed  for  this  acre  costs  about  50  cents  and  even  without  special 
machinery  the  planting  can  be  done  in  less  than  half  a  day  by  the 
wife  or  daughter  if  necessary.  There  is  perhaps  no  other  part  of 
the  United  States  better  adapted  to  raising  poultry  than  California. 


FEED  OR  FIGHT 

1.  RAISE  MORE  LIVE  STOCK 

It  is  impossible  to  overdo  this  business  within  the  next  five  years,  war 
or  no  war. 

2.  WINTER  FEED  STEERS 

Substitute  cows  on  the  ranges  for  steers  over  two  years  of  age  where- 
ever  practicable. 

3.  SAVE  LAMBS 

Build  lambing  sheds  to  eliminate  the  excessive  loss  of  new-born  lambs. 
The  U.  C  College  of  Agriculture  will  furnish  plans. 

4.  INCREASE  FARM  FLOCKS 

Keep  small  flocks  of  sheep  on  farms  to  conserve  forage  not  otherwise 
utilized. 

5.  DOUBLE  PORK  OUTPUT 

Keep  two  brood  sows  instead  of  one  wherever  grain  sorghums  are 
available. 

6.  SAVE  DAIRY  CALVES 

Skim  milk  is  a  food.   Dairy  calves  should  not  be  sacrificed  prematurely. 

7    GUARD  AGAINST  DISEASE 

Report  any  outbreak  of  disease  among  domestic  animals  immediately 
to  Dr  Chas.  Keane,  State  Veterinarian,  Sacramento,  CaL 

8. 


Build  silos  for  the  storage  of  non-saccharine  sorghums,  sweet  sorghums 
or  Indian  corn.  The  U.  C  College  of  Agriculture  will  furnish  plans  and 
supervise  without  expense,  the  building  of  silos  by  community  effort 
The  materials  cost  about  $1.50  per  ton  capacity. 

Ask  your  Farm  Adviser,  Forest  Ranger,  Horticultural 
Commissioner,  or  write  to  the  University  of  California, 
College  of  Agriculture,  Berkeley,  CaL 


The  lack  of  poultry  production  except  as  a  specialized  and  commer- 
cialized industry  is  due,  doubtless,  to  the  Calif ornians '  traditional 
dislike  for  small  things. 

Upon  the  important  subject  of  fish,  which  your  committee  directed 
a  report  to  be  made,  the  investigations  indicate  that  the  supply  can 
readily  be  increased  to  meet  any  reasonable  demands.  Doubling  the 
supply  of  fresh  fish  is  merely  a  matter  of  increasing  the  nets.  I 
hesitate  with  my  rather  limited  knowledge  of  the  situation  to  offer 
concrete  suggestions,  but  I  am  convinced  that  with  further  study  it 
would  be  possible  to  increase  consumption  of  fish  without  increasing 
the  price  to  the  consumer.  By  proper  co-operation  the  consumers' 
prices  may  even  be  lowered.  Here,  as  in  many  other  -eases,  high  prices 
paid  are  the  fault  of  the  habits  and  exactions  of  the  consumer  and 
can  be  remedied  only  by  his  assistance.  At  any  time  and  particularly 
these  times,  an  abundant  wholesome  supply  of  fish  is  an  important 
asset  to  any  community. 

The  most  frequent  statement  found  by  examining  the  detailed 
reports  on  horses  and  mules  is  ' '  supply  about  equal  to  present  needs. ' ' 
Several  counties  report  horses  for  sale,  one  county  reporting  some 
horses  for  sale  because  of  the  high  price  of  feed.  Independent  in- 
vestigations of  horses  available  for  the  army  are  less  optimistic.  It 
is  generally  conceded  that  relatively  few  horses  meet  the  cavalry  re- 
quirements. It  is  also  certain  that  there  can  be  no  considerable 
extension  of  the  present  cultivated  area,  nor  more  intensive  cultiva- 
tion of  areas  at  present  under  cultivation  without  more  power. 

While  in  a  military  sense  this  country  has  been  engaged  in  war  but 
a  brief  period,  if  at  all,  yet  from  the  standpoint  of  the  labor  and  food 
supply  the  United  States  has  been  in  this  war  since  August,  1914.  It 
is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  the  agricultural  inquiry  should  develop 
the  farm  labor  situation  to  be  one  of  the  high  lights.  Our  entrance 
into  the  war  as  a  military  aid  to  the  Allies  will  serve  to  intensify  the 
situation  somewhat,  the  extent  to  which  this  will  occur  being  depend- 
ent upon  the  methods  of  taxation  adopted  to  meet  the  war  loans.  It 
was  reported  to  our  inquirers  that  in  one-half  of  the  counties  the 
labor  supply  was  sufficient  to  meet  present  needs,  while  three-fourths 
of  the  counties  reported  they  did  not  expect  to  be  able  to  secure 
sufficient  labor  within  the  country  to  meet  the  peak  load. 

In  considering  the  labor  situation  it  is  necessary  to  recognize  that 
a  belief  in  a  shortage  of  labor  is  a  chronic  state  of  mind  on  the  part 
of  many  producers.  I  began  employing  and  superintending  farm 
labor  thirty -six  years  ago  and  I  have  been  at  it  almost  constaptly  ever 
since.  During  that  time  there  has  never  been  a  year  that  farmers  of 


a  certain  type  have  not  complained  about  the  shortage,  or  the  high 
price  of  labor.  All  this  has  occurred  in  the  face  of  the  fact  that 
most  farmers  are  benefitted  by  the  high  price  of  labor,  for  most 
farmers  labor  with  their  own  hands.  In  some  cases  most  sensational 
statements  have  been  made  to  our  parties  apparently  with  ulterior 
motives.  These  statements  when  investigated  by  men  especially 
detailed  for  the  purpose  have  been  shown  to  be  either  grossly  exag- 
gerated or  without  any  foundation  in  fact.  However,  after  discount- 
ing this  hereditary  state  of  mind  and  the  sensationalist  who  wishes  to 
take  advantage  of  his  country's  condition  in  the  interest  of  his 
personal  ends,  there  still  remains  an  acute  farm  labor  situation. 

A  member  of  one  of  our  survey  parties  returned  with  this  concise 
statement : 

''The  big  fellow  wants  labor,  the  little  fellow  wants  capital." 
This  statement  was  based  upon  observation  and  not  on  any  theoretical 
consideration  whatsoever.  Nevertheless,  the  fact  is  based  upon  the 
soundest  economic  laws  and  represents  an  age-long  controversy.  It 
is  to  the  economic  interest  of  the  large  property  holder,  who  employs 
labor  to  do  his  work  to  have  the  rate  of  interest  high  and  labor  cheap. 
His  economic  interest  is  not  served  by  rural  credits.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  renter,  or  the  man  with  a  small  equity  in  his  land  who  daily 
toils  with  his  own  hands  has  his  economic  status  promoted  by  cheap 
money  and  dear  labor. 

Finding  the  situation  as  it  is,  the  problem  was  attacked  in  three 
directions. 

1.  A  farm  to  farm  canvass  of  the  actual  labor  needs  was  begun, 
every  farmer  being  asked  to  give  the  essential  data  concerning  his 
individual  needs.  The  following  is  a  sample  inquiry: 

The  —  —  County  Farm  Bureau  is  compiling  a  labor  directory.  We  would 
therefore  like  to  know  whether  you  will  need  help  on  your  ranch  this  year — more 
than  you  can  supply  yourself.  If  so,  please  fill  in  the  attached  postal  and  mail. 
We  will  make  a  summary  of  the  returns  and  assist  you  to  secure  help  when 
you  need  it.  Don't  delay,  but  mail  the  postal  at  your  earliest  convenience. 

(Return  Card)  Gal., 

1917. 

I  will  need men  and  women  and. children   during 

the  period  of days  in  the  months  of _ to  help 

in (picking  prunes,   etc.) 

I  will  provide:  I  will  pay: 

Board  and  room Per  box  

Camping   grounds   Per  ton  

House Per  day  

Water    Per  month  _ „ 

Sanitary  conveniences  

(Name) 


10 

Such  a  canvass  is  now  being  conducted  in  seventeen  counties  and 
will  be  rapidly  extended  throughout  the  state  provided  the  results 
obtained  in  the  seventeen  counties  justify  such  action. 

2.  Consideration  has  been  given  to  the  best  methods  of  making  a 
house  to  house  canvass  in  all  the  large  cities  in  order  to  develop  the 
supply  of  labor  which  can  actually  be  made  available  for  farmers. 
Consultation  with  men  of  experience  in  handling  the  labor  problem 
in  the  cities  seems  to  indicate  that  this  can  be  done  more  readily  than 
was  at  first  supposed  possible.     Your  committee  already  has  such 
voluntary  offers  as  make  it  seem  probable  that  this  task,  stupendous 
as  it  may  at  first  seem  to  be,  can  be  accomplished  within  two  weeks 
whenever  it  is  desirable  to  do  it.    Of  course  it  could  not  be  done  except 
under  the  stress  of  the  patriotic  motive.     It  has  not  been  deemed 
expedient  to  have  this  canvass  made  until  more  definite  information 
concerning  the  character  and  extent  of  the  farm  labor  and  the  time 
when  needed  have  been  obtained.     Further,  the  work  can  be  more 
effectively   accomplished    ofter   the    registration   for    enlistment   has 
been  completed. 

3.  A  plan  is  being  developed  to  make  the  largest  possible  use  of 
the  47,000  high  school  boys  of  California.    Before  a  state  of  war  was 
declared,  the  College  of  Agriculture  in  co-operation  with  the  U.  S. 
Department   of  Agriculture   and   fifteen   high   school   teachers   had 
approximately  2000  high  school  and  elementary  boys  growing  crops 
in  club  contests. 

The  second  week  in  April  the  college  called  upon  these  boys  to 
grow  additional  crops  and  to  volunteer  their  services  in  spreading 
agricultural  propaganda  and  in  otherwise  assisting  local  agricultural 
officials.  The  response  was  so  marked  that  on  April  30  eight  members 
of  the  staff  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  began  a  canvass  in  the  high 
schools  outside  the  large  cities  in  an  attempt  to  induce  the  20,000 
boys  so  situated  to  grow  crops.  The  next  step  was  to  outline  a  plan 
by  which  the  remaining  available  boys  might  be  mobilized  to  help  in 
the  coming  harvest.  The  plan  was  first  informally  outlined  at  a 
meeting  of  the  members  of  the  State  and  County  Councils  of  Defense 
in  San  Francisco,  Thursday,  May  3,  and  unanimously  endorsed. 

It  is  not  to  be  understood  as  a  method  of  solving  the  whole  farm  labor 
problem,  but  only  a  certain  important  phase  of  it.  It  may  also  be  pointed  out 
that  this  is  the  only  large  question  connected  with  increasing  the  food  supply, 
and  hence,  with  the  prosecution  of  the  war,  that  is  not  primarily  a  federal  matter. 
The  Federal  Government  has  no  jurisdiction  over  the  state  school  system  at 
present,  and  will  have  only  an  indirect  one  after  July  1.  In  all  other  matters 


11 


PROFIT  OR  LOSS 


The  University  of  California  Department 
of  Economics  says:  "There  are  two 
reasons  for  the  vast  increase  in  prices. 

1st.  The  increase  in  money  in  circulation, 
including  credit  instruments. 

2nd.  Adlual  scarcity  of  food  and  an  ab- 
normal demand.  War  or  no  war,  food 
prices  generally  will  not  fall  in  the  next 
two  years  because: 

1  st.    The  money  in  circulation  cannot  be  called  in. 

2nd.  The  abnormal  war  demand  will  absorb  all  possible 
increase  in  supply. 

3rd.  Hold-over  stocks  of  primary  foods  have  been 
consumed.  This  increases  all  other  food  prices. 

The  crops  of  wheat,  barley  and  oats  in  the  United  States 
in  1915  were  the  largest  in  our  history,  yet  prices  were 
the  highest  since  the  Civil  War." 

DO  NOT  BE  AFRAID  OF  OVER-PRODUCTION 


12 

the  state  at  best  can  act  only  in  an  advisory  capacity.  In  the  very  nature  of  the 
case,  as  the  war  progresses,  these  state  activities  will  become  more  and  more 
inconsequential. 

The  important  question  is  to  secure  appropriate  action  providing  for  the 
employment  by  the  several  boards  of  education  of  such  teachers  as  may  be 
needed.  The  State  Board  of  Education  may  possibly  be  able  to  supplement  this 
action  by  the  use  of  Smith-Hughes  funds  amounting  to  about  $20,000.  If  it  has 
any  question  about  the  legal  use  of  the  funds  it  can  easily  have  the  national  and 
state  officers  pass  upon  the  question,  i.e.,  P.  H.  daxton,  Commissioner  of  Educa- 
tion, Washington,  D.  C.,  and  Wm.  D.  Stephens,  Governor  of  California. 

According  to  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  there  are  47,000 
young  men  in  the  high  schools  of  California.  Not  all  of  these  will  be  available 
for  employment  on  farms,  because — (1)  some  will  work  at  home;  (2)  others  will 
work  at  other  occupations;  (3)  some  may  not  work  at  all.  However  desirable  it 
may  be  to  have  these  young  men  also  supervised,  it  can  hardly  be  said  to  be 
necessary  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  the  present  emergency. 

When  the  employment  of  teachers  is  settled,  then  the  method  of  placing  and 
supervising  the  young  men  will  need  to  be  worked  out  by  the  State  Council  of 
Defense  through  its  Committee  on  Eesources  and  Food  Supply.  In  some  cases, 
particularly  in  the  larger  cities,  the  high  school  students  will  be  taken  to  distant 
places  to  work  in  groups  of  ten  or  more.  They  will  generally  live  in  camps  and 
have  a  common  mess.  When  necessary,  it  will  be  the  duty  of  the  teacher  to 
mobilize  the  required  materials,  to  organize  the  camp,  to  make  contracts  with 
employers  concerning  pay,  to  determine  that  the  boys  are  given  only  reasonable 
tasks  to  do,  and  to  look  after  the  welfare  of  the  young  men,  especially  during 
the  unemployed  hours.  It  is  not  to  be  the  duty  of  the  teacher  to  take  the  place 
of  the  employer  in  seeing  that  the  work  is  properly  done. 

In  other  cases,  particularly  in  the  smaller  towns,  it  will  be  necessary  to  scatter 
the  students  about  one,  two,  or  three  in  a  place.  In  these  cases  it  will  be  the 
duty  of  the  teacher  to  make  the  arrangements  concerning  pay,  to  determine  that 
the  rooming  and  boarding  accommodations  are  adequate,  and  to  visit  the  farm 
periodically  to  determine  whether  the  arrangement  is  satisfactory  to  both  parties. 

It  is  to  be  kept  in  mind  that  if  the  war  continues  for  three  years  or  more, 
many  of  these  young  men  will  become  liable  for  draft.  The  important  question, 
therefore,  is  not  the  amount  of  money  earned  or  saved,  but  it  is  the  physical 
condition  in  which  these  young  men  return  to  their  homes  and  their  school  duties. 
Hence  it  is  proposed  that  plans  shall  be  developed  to  prevent  overwork.  For 
illustration,  if  a  rancher  needs  eight  men  working  ten  hours  a  day,  he  would  be 
furnished  with  ten  men  who  would  work  only  eight  hours  a  day.  If  he  paid  $2.00 
a  day  for  ten  hours  work,  each  young  man  working  eight  hours  a  day  would 
receive  $1.60  per  day.  If  $2.50  was  the  ten  hour  rate,  then  the  eight  hour  rate 
would  be  $2.00.  It  is  believed  that  these  young  men  working  eight  hours  a  day 
would  soon  be  able  to  render  as  effective  service  per  hour  as  the  usual  farm 
laborer  who  works  ten  or  eleven  hours. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  plan  to  lower  the  price  of  farm  labor,  but  rather 
to  furnish  additional  labor  at  the  time  most  needed,  at  reasonable  prices  and 
under  proper  living  conditions,  in  order  that  the  state  may  have  a  body  of  virile, 
well-trained  young  men.  It  is  believed,  therefore,  that  these  young  men  should 
not  be  made  available  below  a  certain  minimum  wage,  whether  the  pay  is  to 


13 

be  by  the  hour  or  by  the  piece.  These  young  men  should  not  be  placed,  either  in 
groups  or  singly  on  farms,  until  the  supervising  teacher  has  determined  that  a 
reasonable  wage  can  be  earned  by  working  eight  hours,  and  this  wage  should 
not  be  less  than  four-fifths  of  the  amount  earned  by  farm  labor  working  ten  to 
eleven  hours  per  day. 

Everyone  knows  where  the  high  schools  of  his  community  are,  so  that  in  so 
far  as  any  county  is  concerned,  the  ability  to  supply  the  labor  whieh  high  school 
men  are  able  to  perform,  should  not  be  difficult.  There  should  be  no  difficulty  in 
employers  making  their  wants  known.  However,  when  it  becomes  necessary  to 
move  men  from  the  large  cities  to  adjacent  or  distant  counties,  a  clearing  house 
will  be  necessary.  This  task  the  State  Council  of  Defense  will  undertake,  through 
its  Committee  on  Eesources  and  Food  Supply. 

This  plan  was  fully  discussed  at  a  conference  between  this  com- 
mittee and  members  and  representatives  of  the  State  Board  of 
Education  on  Monday,  May  7,  and  was  formally  presented  for  action 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Education  on  Monday,  May  14.  On 
Wednesday,  May  9,  a  group  of  twenty-four  Berkeley  High  School  boys 
went  to  one  of  the  islands  of  the  Delta  to  cut  asparagus,  in  charge 
of  a  teacher  of  the  Berkeley  schools,  who  is  paid  his  salary  and  ex- 
penses by  the  Board  of  Education.  To  make  this  initial  experiment, 
Mr.  W.  B.  Meek  not  only  agreed  to  raise  the  price  paid  for  cutting 
asparagus,  but  voluntarily  organized  suitable  living  conditions  under 
the  direction  of  the  State  Immigration  and  Housing  Commission, 
which  has  been  co-operating  with  your  committee  in  the  most  vigorous 
fashion.  It  is  reported  that  large  numbers  of  boys  have  gone  out 
from  the  high  schools  of  the  state,  notably  in  southern  California,  to 
help  cultivate  or  harvest  crops. 

Every  man,  woman  and  child  on  whatever  pretext,  who  goes  into 
the  open  country  this  summer,  will  help  to  relieve  the  food  situation 
(1)  by  reducing  the  cost  of  transferring  food  from  the  country  to 
the  city;  (2)  by  living  on  simpler  fare,  and  (3)  by  consuming  sup- 
plies which  while  perfectly  wholesome  and  palatable,  never  find  their 
way  to  the  cities  for  purely  economic  reasons.  If  foreign  labor  is 
brought  to  this  country,  the  mouths  to  be  fed  will  be  increased,  but 
if  the  city  population  is  transferred  to  the  country  a  saving  of  food 
will  result. 

Although  your  committee  has  hardly  touched  the  edge  of  this 
problem,  it  is  evident  it  is  going  to  be  one  that  will  require  much 
patience  and  many  readjustments.  Even  before  war  was  declared 
$2.50  for  an  eight-hour  day  without  board  had  become  the  customary 
wage  for  ordinary  manual  labor  in  all  the  larger  cities  of  California. 
Farmers  who  employ  considerable  groups  of  laborers  complain  not 


14 

without  reason  that  their  industry  has  not  been  organized  on  that 
basis,  since  they  have  had  access  to  labor  which  did  not  find  steady 
employment  in  the  cities  at  that  wage.  Whether  unfortunately  or  for- 
tunately this  class  of  laborers  has  since  August,  1914,  been  gradually 
absorbed  into  the  industrial  activities  of  the  nation  and  is  no  longer 
available  for  farm  work  at  the  old  rate  of  wages. 

The  extra  labor  which  the  farmer  will  employ  this  summer  and 
probably  for  several  summers  hereafter  must  be  largely  from  those 
who  have  come  to  look  upon  $2.50  for  an  eight-hour  day  without 
board  as  a  minimum  wage.  Just  what  is  the  equivalent  of  this  wage 
in  the  open  country  it  is  difficult  to  state  dogmatically,  but  it  is  safe 
to  assert  that  the  farmer  will  find  it  necessary  to  organize  his  business 
on  a  higher  wage  basis  than  at  any  time  within  the  memory  of  most 
men  now  living.  In  trying  to  organize  farm  labor  primarily  to  aid 
in  winning  this  war,  the  writer  has  not  been  unmindful  of  the  inter- 
ests of  the  farmers  themselves.  He,  however,  finds  the  solution  hope- 
less unless  they  will  meet  the  situation  at  least  half  way  both  by 
offering  increased  wages,  and  what  is  equally  important,  better  living 
conditions  than  have  obtained  in  the  past  in  some  instances.  This 
means  without  doubt  that  the  farmer  must  get  more  for  his  crops 
than  ever  before.  He  will  not  continue  and  he  cannot  continue  to 
employ  labor  at  greatly  increased  prices  without  a  somewhat  corre- 
sponding increase  in  his  products.  The  man  who  is  raising  crops  with 
his  own  hands  and  the  help  of  his  family  is  in  quite  another  category. 

The  plans  just  outlined  are  being  carried  out  with  every  possible 
dispatch  not  because  it  is  believed  they  will  be  sufficient  to  meet  per- 
manently the  farm  labor  situation,  but  because  they  are  the  methods 
which  it  seems  possible  to  put  into  practice  at  the  moment.  The  farm 
labor  problem  can  not  be  considered  apart  from  the  rest  of  the  activ- 
ities of  the  nation.  Without  doubt,  if  the  war  continues  for  three  or 
more  years,  radical  measures  will  be  necessary.  Many  of  the  activ- 
ities now  conducted  by  able  bodied  men  between  the  ages  of  eighteen 
and  forty-five  will  either  have  to  be  eliminated  or  be  conducted  by 
boys  under  eighteen,  or  men  over  forty-five,  or  by  women. 

While  certain  indulgences  necessarily  must  be  curtailed,  the  ex- 
periences of  the  present  war  teach  that  it  is  not  safe  to  limit  unduly 
the  opportunities  for  recreation  nor  to  fail  to  recognize  the  value  of 
modern  labor  conditions.  Our  allies  have  found  that  music  and  art 
have  human  values  that  may  not  be  omitted  in  war  times.  Neverthe- 
less there  are  some  things  that  can  be  done  with  perfect  safety.  Men 
can  run  their  own  automobiles  and  women  can  for  the  most  part  do 
their  own  shopping.  Both  men  and  women  can  economize  on  dress. 
It  is  not  necessary  for  any  man  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and 
forty-five  to  clerk  in  a  retail  store  or  wait  on  the  table  in  any  club, 
hotel,  or  restaurant.  Furthermore,  in  any  real  war  it  is  not  done,  as 
the  English  would  say. 

Every  effort  should  be  made  to  reduce  the  cost  of  retail  delivery. 
Hence  buying  in  large  quantities,  popularly  referred  to  as  hoarding 
food  supplies,  is  to  be  commended.  While  the' transition  is  taking 


15 

place  between  the  old  process  of  microscopic  telephone  purchases  and 
that  of  the  personally  selected  wholesale  purchases  there  will  be,  as  in 
all  other  trade  changes,  certain  derangements  and  hardships  and  if 
after  the  first  spasm  of  fear  or  of  righteousness  as  the  case  may  be,  is 
passed,  the  purchaser  falls  back  into  the  old  method  then  nothing  but 
harm  can  come  from  it,  but  as  a  permanent  system  the  so-called  hoard- 
ing of  food  supplies  which  is  nothing  more  than  wholesale  or  original 
package  purchases  is  to  be  fostered  by  every  possible  means,  because 
it  reduces  the  cost  of  retailing,  which  is  approximately  one-third  of 
the  consumer's  dollar. 

Everywhere  our  parties  have  gone  the  farmers  have  shown  an 
undoubted  patriotism.  The  following  extract  is  submitted  from  a 
letter  which  was  received  from  a  farmer  who  attended  one  of  our 
hearings. 

"Speaking  on  the  subject  of  patriotism,  the  present  price  of  wheat  is  $3.85 
per  hundred,  which  is  too  much.  I  am  willing  to  sell  my  crop  for  $2.50  per 
hundred,  provided  a  large  number  of  farmers  will  do  the  same.  My  crop  will 
aggregate  4000  sacks,  I  believe,  and  I  will  give  10  per  cent  of  it  and  roll  it  to 
market  at  my  own  expense  and  send  it  to  the  cities  of  the  state  to  be  given  to 
the  families  who  are  or  will  be  without  food. 

I  will  further  state  that  if  there  is  no  patriotic  movement  of  this  sort  I  will 
sell  my  crop  on  the  market  and  whatever  it  brings  over  $2.00  I  will  put  it  in  a 
fund  to  buy  other  food  products  for  the  families  who  have  no  food. ' ' 

Nevertheless,  our  parties  could  not  help  sense  the  undercurrent  of 
fear  concerning  overproduction  and  the  feeling  in  the  minds  of  the 
listeners  that  our  advocacy  of  a  given  crop  or  crops  made  overproduc- 
tion just  that  much  more  certain.  To  offset  this  attitude  a  placard 
has  been  widely  distributed  entitled  "How  to  win  the  fight  for 
democracy,"  which  aimed  perhaps  unnecessarily  to  indicate  what 
alternatives  were  before  the  citizen  who  wished  to  do  his  "bit."  A 
placard  prepared  by  the  University  of  California  Department  of 
Economics  entitled  "Profit  or  Loss"  is  being  distributed  in  which  it 
is  asserted  that  "War  or  no  war,  prices  will  not  generally  fall  within 
two  years."  This  was  done  in  an  attempt  to  increase  production  in 
order  that  there  may  be  a  surplus  of  food  for  our  allies.  Along  comes 
this  unfortunate  agitation  for  the  control  of  food  prices.  It  is  barely 
conceivable  that  some  person  may  work  out  a  satisfactory  plan,  but 
the  present  discussion  which  means  a  thousand  different  things  to 
seven  million  different  farmers  only  causes  the  farmer  to  hesitate  to 
extend  his  operations. 

It  is  not  true  that  the  primary  necessity  is  control  of  food 
prices.  The  primary  necessity  is  a  surplus  of  food  for  our  allies. 
Such  methods  must  be  evolved  and  such  sacrifices  must  be  invoked 
as  will  produce  this  surplus.  What  shall  it  profit  the  United  States 
if  it  reduces  the  price  of  wheat  and  thereby  loses  this  war? 

In  order  to  make  this  situation  clear  I  permit  myself  the  following 
primer-like  cross-examination : 


16 


Why  all  the  agitation  concerning  food? 

IN  ORDER  TO  FURNISH  A  SURPLUS  FOR  OUR  ALLIES. 


How  can  a  surplus  be  obtained? 

BY  INCREASING  THE  PRODUCTION  OF  FARM  PRODUCTS. 

BY  DECREASING  CONSUMPTION  AND  ELIMINATING  WASTE. 


What  is  the  most  effective  means  of  increasing  production? 
INCREASE  IN  THE  PRICE  OF  FARM  PRODUCTS. 


What  is  the  most  effective  means   of  decreasing  consumption  and 
eliminating  waste? 

INCREASE  IN  THE  PRICE  OF  FOOD  STUFFS. 


What  is  the  objection  to  agitation  for  the  control  of  food  prices? 
IT  CAUSES  THE  PRODUCER  TO  HESITATE. 
IT  MAKES  THE  CONSUMER  INDIFFERENT. 


When  will  the  price  of  food  stuffs  ease  off? 

WHEN  OUR  ALLIES  HAVE  AN  ABUNDANCE  OF  FOOD. 


Is  the  sacrifice  too  great? 

IT  IS  SMALL  COMPARED  WITH  THE  SACRIFICE  THAT  IS 
MADE  BY  THE  SOLDIERS  WHO  HOLD  THE  FIRST  LINE  OF 
TRENCHES. 


17 

The  average  farm-owning  farmer  is  perhaps  not  going  to  be  much 
affected  by  this  discussion.  He  has  his  capital,  his  machinery,  his 
animals,  and  the  labor  of  his  own  hands.  He  is  going  to  follow  his 
usual  course  of  doing  the  best  he  can  with  these  agencies.  If  prices 
are  not  too  low  and  labor  not  too  high,  he  may  perhaps  extend  his 
operations  somewhat,  but  for  the  most  part  he  is  going  his  way 
through  wind  and  weather  feeding  the  nation  in  about  the  usual 
manner.  He  cannot  be  expected  to  do  much  more  than  he  always 
does,  because  he  generally  does  all  he  can,  the  assertion  of  unthinking 
people  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  How  then  is  increased  pro- 
duction to  be  obtained  in  California?  I  presented  at  our  hearing  in 
San  Francisco  the  situation  as  it  appeared  at  that  time,  from  which 
I  quote  in  part  as  follows: 

What  has  a  great  city  to  do  with  the  production  of  foodstuffs  for  our  allies? 
The  answer  is  that  if  anything  more  is  done  than  is  already  being  done,  it  must 
be  by  the  people  of  the  cities,  primarily  by  those  of  the  large  cities.  Most  people 
think  that  the  raising  of  a  surplus  of  food  products  is  a  rural  problem.  It  is 
not.  It  is  an  urban  problem. 

Every  farmer  is  now  working  at  top  speed.  He  is  using  every  dollar  of 
capital  and  every  ounce  of  muscle  he  possesses.  The  farmers  are  anxious  and 
willing  to  help,  but  without  the  aid  of  the  cities  they  are  powerless  to  do  more. 

There  are  about  one-quarter  of  a  million-  persons  in  California  engaged  in 
agriculture  and  allied  industries.  There  are  approximately  one  million  in  other 
gainful  occupations.  In  the  United  States  as  a  whole  of  every  three  persons  in 
gainful  occupations  one  is  engaged  in  agriculture;  in  California  the  ratio  is 
one  to  five.  This  is  no  time  to  discuss  reasons.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  assuming 
a  three  years'  war,  one-quarter  of  a  million  people  now  in  the  cities  of  California 
will  be  needed  to  win  this  war.  Fifty  thousand  will  be  required  for  the  army 
and  navy  and  for  ship  building,  and  200,000  will  be  required  on  the  farms. 
Twenty  thousand  are  needed  at  this  moment  in  the  open  country. 

Our  inquiry  shows  that  there  are  considerable  areas  of  land  now 
available  for  irrigation  and  water  ready  to  be  applied  which  is  await- 
ing new  capital  and  additional  men  to  make  them  productive.  In 
co-operation  with  the  State  Engineer  a  conference  was  held  on  Tues- 
day, April  17,  with  a  considerable  number  of  water  companies  and 
later  correspondence  was  conducted  with  others.  On  Friday,  April 
20,  a  conference  was  had  with  the  State  Railroad  Commission  and 
the  State  Water  Commission  with  the  result  that  the  State  Railroad 
Commission  issued  an  order  that  during  the  period  of  the  war  water 
could  be  furnished  at  less  than  usual  rates  or  free  of  charge  without 
permanently  dedicating  the  use  of  the  water  to  the  land.  Through 
the  efforts  of  the  State  Water  Commission  suitable  legislation  was 
enacted  giving  mutual  water  companies  similar  powers.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  approximately  200,000  acres  of  land  will  be  brought  under 
irrigation  for  the  first  time  in  1917  which  is  above  the  normal  in- 
crease and  water  for  500,000  additional  acres  will  be  available  next 
year.  In  California  it  requires,  normally,  25,000  men  to  cultivate  half 
a  million  acres  of  land.  For  each  person  engaged  in  agriculture  in 


18 

the  state  in  1910  there  were  invested  in  land,  tools  and  animals  $7000. 
How  can  men  in  the  cities  be  found  who  will  use  their  capital  or  their 
labor  as  long  as  a  threatened  food  control  whose  significance  is  un- 
known hangs  over  them  ?  If  this  were  the  proper  time  to  experiment 
with  untried  economic  theories,  however  good  they  may  be  in  them- 
selves, it  would  not  matter,  but  the  necessity  of  the  hour  is  a  surplus 
of  food  for  the  allies.  If  the  State  Council  of  Defense  can  do  any- 
thing to  clear  up  this  situation  immediately  it  is  not-  too  strong  to 
say  that  it  will  be  doing  a  lasting  service  to  mankind. 

In  response  to  the  appeal  for  more  power  on  farms  made  at  the 
San  Francisco  hearing  a  Committee  on  Tractors  was  appointed  by  Mr. 
C.  H.  Bentley  of  your  committee,  with  Mr.  Adolf  Mack  of  San  Fran- 
cisco as  chairman.  This  committee  has  been  actively  engaged  in  con- 
sidering the  feasibility  of  mobilizing  existing  tractors  and  in  discussing 
methods  for  increasing  the  manufacture  of  new  ones.  There  is  especial 
need  of  a  plan  to  increase  the  number  of  effective  hours  per  year  per 
tractor.  A  system  of  tractor  garages,  where  a  number  of  machines 
would  be  kept,  might  be  developed  so  that  a  farmer  who  may  need  a 
tractor  not  more  than  one,  two  or  three  days  in  a  year  may  order  his 
work  done  either  by  the  day  or  acre.  This  would  result  not  only 
in  more  land  being  plowed,  but  also  in  that  the  plowing  would  be  more 
efficiently  done.  There  are  in  California  100,000,000  acres  of  land 
of  which  approximately  5  per  cent  was  under  the  plow  in  1910. 

If  I  do  not  misjudge  the  temper  of  the  people  they  are  ready  to 
contribute  rather  freely  to  any  humane  or  charitable  enterprise  which 
is  the  outgrowth  of  the  present  conflict.  The  response  is  particularly 
hearty  when  the  aim  is  to  relieve  suffering.  "Save  your  money  for 
the  Red  Cross"  is  the  common  and  often  jocular  expression  which 
represents  this  wholly  commendable  attitude.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  seems  to  be  a  settled  conviction  that  anything  that  has  to  do 
with  the  prosecution  of  this  war  is  a  governmental  enterprise  and 
should  be  a  direct  tax  on  the  people  at  large.  I  am  not  commenting 
upon  the  propriety  of  this  point  of  view,  but  I  call  the  attention  of 
the  committee  to  the  reality  with  which  it  must  deal  if  its  efforts 
are  to  become  effective. 

One  of  the  chief  items  which  on  April  10  your  committee  asked 
that  consideration  be  given  was  the  conservation  of  food  and  the  elim- 
ination of  waste.  The  machinery  for  this  task  was  created  by  the 
appointment  of  a  committee  of  dietitians  and  others  with  a  member 
of  your  committee,  Miss  Ethel  Moore,  as  chairman.  A  memorandum 
entitled  "Seven  ways  in  which  money  is  wasted  and  how  to  save  this 
waste"  was  immediately  prepared  and  sent  to  225  teachers  of  home 
economics  in  the  state  and  widely  circulated  in  the  press.  It  was  also 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  president  of  the  State  Federation  of 
Women's  Clubs.  A  strenuous  effort  is  being  made  to  enlist  this 
organization,  with  a  membership  of  40,000,  as  well  as  other  women's 
organizations,  in  promoting  the  practice  of  economies.  The  subcom- 
mittee is  preparing  and  distributing  a  list  of  menus,  tracts  on  drying 
and  otherwise  preserving  fruits  and  vegetables,  and  on  the  rearing  of 
poultry.  It  is  now  fully  established  that  the  winter  wheat  crop  of 


19 

the  United  States  will  be  below  normal,  probably  so  much  below  nor- 
mal as  to  make  it  impossible  for  a  bumper  spring  wheat  crop  to  offset 
the  winter  wheat  shortage.  When  the  demands  of  our  allies  are  taken 
into  consideration  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  high  prices 
for  wheat  must  continue  to  prevail.  The  public  should  not  be  lulled 
into  feeling  that  by  some  legerdemain  they  are  going  to  secure  cheap 
food  in  the  near  future. 

There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  this  country  will  have  an 
abundant  corn  and  oat  crop.  Fortunately,  they  are  both  admirably 
adapted  to  human  consumption.  Without  doubt  the  supply  of  corn 
will  be  four  times  as  great,  and  that  of  oats  as  great  as  the  wheat  re- 
quired for  home  consumption.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the 
Indian  corn  crop  of  last  year  was  the  smallest  in  several  years,  there 
is  in  sight  at  this  moment  corn  enough  to  furnish  food  for  our  popu- 
lation for  a  whole  year  if  there  were  not  a  pound  of  wheat  in  existence. 
It  is,  of  course,  not  desirable  that  wholesale  substituion  of  corn  and 
oats  for  wheat  should  be  made,  because  the  meat  supply  would  thereby 
be  curtailed.  Nevertheless  the  consumer  should  be  taught  that  the 
proper  course  is  to  cut  down  meat  bills  and  to  substitute  for  wheat, 
so  far  as  practicable,  corn,  oats,  rice,  and  barley.  So  far  as  the  adult 
population  is  concerned  this  would  probably  result  in  a  general  in- 
crease in  health.  There  is  need  of  care,  however,  in  making  radical 
changes  in  the  dietary  of  growing  children,  who  are  in  special  need 
of  the  kind  of  protein  furnished  by  meat,  milk,  and  eggs. 

An  investigation  of  the  garbage  of  one  city  in  California  made  by 
Dr.  C.  M.  Haring  of  the  College  of  Agriculture  shows  that  if  this 
garbage  were  fed  to  pigs,  the  pork  produced  would  be  equivalent  to 
1  per  cent  of  the  total  food  consumption  of  that  city.  Probably  the 
most  practical  method  for  the  householder  to  deal  with  this  waste  is 
to  keep  from  three  to  six  hens.  Care  should  be  taken  not  to  keep  too 
many  fowls,  because  if  the  waste  product  becomes  too  small  a  propor- 
tion of  the  food  consumed  by  them,  they  may  no  longer  be  economical. 
The  College  of  Agriculture  is  publishing  a  circular  on  city  poultry- 
raising,  with  plans  for  suitable  quarters  for  a  small  number  of  fowls. 

Belgian  hare  furnish  a  wholly  nutritious  and  healthful  source 
of  meat.  They,  however,  do  not  consume  waste  products,  being  best 
grown  on  a  diet  of  dry  alfalfa  and  barley  meal. 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  report  that  the  probable  allotment  of  funds 
from  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  for  the  further  extension  of  the 
County  Farm  Bureau  system  will  make  it  possible  to  serve  you  more 
efficiently  in  the  future.  Both  the  present  facilities  and  these  added 
ones  are  at  your  disposal  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  President  and 
the  Regents  of  the  University,  which  I  am  sure  may  be  assumed. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A    000734719    8 


20 


CONCLUSIONS 

I  have  therefore  in  conclusion  to  report  to  your  committee  that  the 
tasks  that  lie  immediately  before  it  seem  to  be  as  follows : 

To  bring  the  labor  resources  of  the  cities  in  touch  with  the  labor 
needs  of  the  country  by  a  family  to  family  convass  of  both  city  and 
country  and  to  act  as  a  clearing  house  for  this  information. 

To  organize  tractor  garages  or  similar  methods  of  giving  the 
farmers  more  power. 

To  urge  city  capital  and  city  people  to  engage  in  the  production 
of  food  in  the  open  country,  particularly  on  those  lands  on  which 
water  has  recently  been  made  available. 

To  further  promote  plans  of  meeting  the  livestock  situation  and 
to  promote  a  larger  use  of  the  abundant  supply  of  fish  which  can 
readily  be  increased. 

To  furnish  organizations  of  women  with  information  concerning 
the  conservation  of  food  and  the  elimination  of  waste  and  to  impress 
upon  them  the  great  possibility  of  state  and  local  associations  in 
promoting  economy  in  food  and  clothing  and  in  eliminating  such 
indulgences  as  are  not  strictly  necessary  to  the  best  welfare. 

To  assure  the  producer  that  whatever  food  control  may  mean  that 
prices  of  food  products  can  not  appreciably  decrease  in  the  next  two 
years,  and  to  warn  the  consumer  that  the  sooner  he  adjusts  himself 
to  the  present  or  higher  scale  of  prices,  the  better  it  will  be  for  him 
and  for  the  cause  for  which  this  country  is  fighting. 

And  now  finally,  the  pity  of  it  all  is  that  very  little  attention  will 
be  paid  to  most  of  these  recommendations.  There  will  be  in  the  hands 
of  the  American  public  during  the  next  two  or  three  years  more 
money  and  instruments  of  credit  per  capita  than  there  ever  were  in 
any  nation  of  the  world,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
this  country  is  to  witness  the  most  prosperous  times  and  the  most 
riotous  living  that  it  has  ever  known.  In  the  meantime  it  is  our  allies 
who  will  suffer.  For  what  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  shall  gain  the 
whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ? 


